Mount Adams is the third highest peak of the Cascade range, just behind Mount Rainier (14,410 feet; 4,392 meters) and Mount Shasta (14,162 feet; 4,317 meters). Located about 45 miles south of Mount Rainier. Adams is an ancient, inactive volcano. Its snow capped cone is moderately eroded, and the eastern and western slopes of the mountain drop more suddenly than do the northern and southern slopes. The normal route ascends the mountain on the southern slope. The position of Mount Adams on the eastern side of the Cascades shelters it from the extremely heavy rainfall of the western side. This combined with its overall ease of access in the Mount Adams Wilderness Area combine to make it a popular ascent. (The following is a new posting by Darryl Lloyd 3/6/01) Based on recent USGS studies (1997), Mount Adams' most recent eruptions were about 1,000 years ago, consisting of localized ashfalls and a couple of half-mile-long lava flows high on Suksdorf and Battlement Ridges. Most of the mountain above timberline was constructed during the last part of the Ice Age, between 35,000 years and 10,000 years ago. It will "assuredly erupt again," according to Dr. Wes Hildreth of the USGS.